Site Mobile Navigation

Quinn Leads Democratic Rivals in Money Race

With just a month to go before the Sept. 10 mayoral primary election, Christine C. Quinn and Anthony D. Weiner have more money than their Democratic competitors, allowing them to maximize their spending on the television advertising that is often crucial to persuading undecided voters.

Ms. Quinn has $8.6 million on hand, the most of any candidate, according to numbers filed with the New York City Campaign Finance Board on Friday. Mr. Weiner has $6.2 million on hand, but his fund-raising slowed significantly after July 23, when he acknowledged that he had exchanged sexually explicit messages with women online even after similar behavior forced him to resign from Congress in 2011.

Mr. Weiner raised $24,014 after July 23, compared with $76,818 in the first 11 days of the filing period, which ran from July 12 through Aug. 5.

Ms. Quinn, the front-runner in the polls, has already begun advertising on television, as hasBill de Blasio, who lags slightly in fund-raising but is close to raising the maximum he can spend in the primary under the city’s public financing system. William C. Thompson Jr., who was the 2009 Democratic nominee, is further behind in the money race, and is not yet on television.

In the Republican race, the billionaire John A. Catsimatidis, who is self-financing, has bought a series of television ads. His leading opponent, Joseph J. Lhota, a former Metropolitan Transportation Authority chairman, has significantly less money and has spent more modestly on television.

Kenneth Sherrill, an emeritus professor of political science at Hunter College, said that, over the next month, the candidates would have to invest in defining themselves to voters.

“Both Quinn and de Blasio have very effective ads right now,” Mr. Sherrill said. “It will be interesting to see how Thompson introduces himself, or reintroduces himself. It’s very curious, for somebody who got 46 percent against Bloomberg” in the 2009 election, “it seems as if a lot of voters, or a lot of likely voters, don’t remember him.”

Spending by most candidates in New York is sharply limited by the city’s voluntary campaign finance system, which gives generous matching funds to those who agree to abide by strict limits. Because television is so expensive in New York, managing cash flow for campaigns is especially important, and most are saving as much as they can for these last few weeks.

Because Mr. Weiner entered the race later than the others, he can spend the most in the next month before hitting the spending maximum of $6.7 million. Unlike the other leading candidates, however, he does not have the support of any major unions or political clubs, so he will most likely have to set aside money to pay for get-out-the-vote operations, which the others will get free.

“The other candidates are probably going to be a little bit freer to invest in advertising,” Mr. Sherrill said.

After spending the maximum on the primary, Ms. Quinn, the City Council speaker, will be left with roughly $4.4 million for a potential runoff and general election. Mr. de Blasio, the public advocate, has $4 million on hand. And Mr. Thompson has $3.4 million, leaving him close to $1 million short of the spending limit.

All of the candidates are now spending money faster than they are raising it. In the latest filing, Ms. Quinn spent $876,092, including $600,000 on television ads, and raised $136,585. Mr. de Blasio spent $268,879 — which did not include his first television buy because it took place after the cutoff date — and raised $94,177. Mr. Thompson spent $606,090, including $94,942 on producing a television ad that has yet to be shown, and raised $237,624. Mr. Weiner spent $199,755 and raised $100,831.

Mr. Thompson’s outlay was driven in part by heavy spending on consultants, staff and professional services, on which he spent $293,496, compared with $208,590 for Ms. Quinn, $165,758 for Mr. de Blasio and $127,905 for Mr. Weiner. Although Mr. Thompson’s sluggish fund-raising and high spending may leave him with less to spend on television advertising, he will get assistance from the teachers’ union, which has endorsed him. A political action committee spearheaded by the union has spent $579,255 so far on Mr. Thompson’s behalf, mostly on mailings and a radio ad.

On the Republican side, Mr. Lhota spent $461,785 and raised $90,760. Mr. Catsimatidis spent $890,158. Since he entered the race, Mr. Catsimatidis has spent nearly $4 million of his fortune.

A version of this article appears in print on August 12, 2013, on page A13 of the New York edition with the headline: Quinn Leads Democrats In Money Race. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe